Would you choose dried flowers for your big day? You would be right at the forefront of this current trend that looks like lasting for a while. To help you consider dried flowers rather than silk wedding flowers or fresh wedding flowers for your nuptials,I have gathered some pros and cons when choosing and using dried flowers for your wedding. Choosing dried wedding flowers
Problems with using dried flowers:
Silk v dried flowers?
Another alternative is silk flowers. I have had requests from some brides looking at artificial or silk flowers as a long-lasting post Covid answer but I think dried real flowers are a good alternative because silk flowers nearly always look fake and always cost quite a lot more per stem than the corresponding fresh flower. Only if a particular flower is not in season or if you must have a delicate flower like a poppy that has a short life once cut, then an artificial flower comes into its own. Also, you do not get a scent with artificial flowers whereas you can with dried flowers if you choose wisely. Silk flowers can be heavy with all the wire and are not biodegradable like fresh or dried flowers. How to include dried flowers in your wedding I prefer to take the middle ground and incorporate the dried with fresh in bouquets rather than do just 100 per cent dried posies although I do like the particular dried wedding posy that I made and is the photo taken for this blog! May be it all depends on getting the right balance of colours and shapes in the end, something that you choose a professional florist for.. Bleached foliage and dark stems can look stunning when set against fresh roses for instance. Your choice.
1 Comment
The fashion for dried flowers is not stopping! Today I am considering the loveliest, easiest plants out there that can be grown by you for cutting and drying. Now is the time to get out there and gather. Part 2 is all about dried flowers for weddings and bouquets and in part 3 flower lists for commercially prepped materials that enhance the design vase or bouquet. Rounding off with top tips for looking after dried flowers in part 4..So much to come! Before we get down to that remember that if you have bought some cut flowers you can often just try letting them dry naturally to see what happens. It is amazing how many flower types will dry if it is warm and dry where they are placed. So, don’t be too speedy at tidying away that gift vase of flowers and foliage. Wait to see what dries well! Easy flower drying tips: To air dry most cut flowers you just suspend the bunch upside down so they dry straight or simply put an inch of water in a vase and let the water disappear. Let them dry in a warm, dry space out of direct sunlight. Avoid dampness at all cost. Cut your flowers just before they are fully open as they often continue to open once cut and leave a long stem so they can be tied up once dry. If you leave it too late to pick they can go to fluff or shed petals. I once cut some bulrush heads, left them overnight and came down the next day to a room full of fluffy seeds! Try a squirt of hairspray to mitigate this. Easiest larger flowers to cut for drying:
Easiest smaller flowers for cutting and drying:
Easiest seed heads and grasses for cutting and drying: Nigella- round seed pods with curly bits are lovely Poppy- a usefull weed! Pampas grass- silky plumes of loveliness. Just check the final size of a plant as some are massive Lunaria- honesty moon discs dry well Cotinus- smoke bush has smoky froth in the autumn when the large shrub is a blazeof colour. Fab Easiest foliage to cut and dry:
When it comes to leaves they all tend to curl up a bit if left to air dry and become brittle. Best to try standing cut stems in one part glycerine with three parts hot water for a week or two. The glycerine is taken into the veins and stops the plant getting too dry. The leaf colour will change but the final result is very long lasting. In terms of types of foliage I always go by the 'feel test'. If the leaf feels leathery or tough then odds are that it will dry for you beautifully eg Hedera helix or British ivy, x cyparis , conifer and Euonymus are common examples. Eucalyptus contains the oily gum that also helps to preserve it well. So give cutting and drying a go! Plant a few 'everlasting flowers' for now and the future. X Helen at Verdila |
Helen at Verdila
Creating beautiful flowers with a contemporary twist Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|
Location |
|